Equalizer for cables of cable railways



. v UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

.W'ILLIAM H. H. SISUM, OF'BROOKLYN, NE? YORK.

'EQUALIZER FORCABLES OF CABLE RAILWAYS.

SPECIFiCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,378, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed June 18, 1886.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. SIsUM, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Equalizers for Cables of Cable-Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to equalizers employed to equalize the strain upon cables and prevent jerking upon the gearing and engines used in cable railways. It frequently occurs in such railways that greater strain is brought to bear upon that portion of the cable running in one direction than upon that running in the other, owing to the descent of cars or trains down grades or for other cause, whereby a slacking of the cable will occur in front of the car ortrain,which disturbs the equilibrium of strain.

It is the object of my improvement to take up this slack and equalize the strain.

I will describe myimproved equalizer in detail, and then point out the novel features in a claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an equalizer embodying my improvement. Fig. 2' is a plan or top view of aportion of the same.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.

A designates a cable, which, as is usual in cable railways, is made of wire and is endless. Near the top of Fig. 1 the cable is shown as extending over a pulley, B, from between the rails of a railway. After leaving the pulleys B the cable passes around a pulley, 0, ar-

ranged at approximate right angles to the pulley B. The pulley C may be journaled in suitable bearings. (Not shown in the drawings.) Passing from the pulley O the cable passes around another pulley, D, arranged with its axis approximately parallel with the axis of the pulley O, and mounted in a carriage, E. After leaving the pulley D the cable makes one or more turns around grooved wheels or drums F, mounted in bearings in a frame, G, which framemay be supported upon a floor or other suitable support. After leaving the drums F it passes around a pulley, D, mounted in a carriage, E, similar to the carriage E, and thence over pulleys O B, similar to the pulleys C B.

Serial No. 205,563. No model.)

Motion is transmitted to one of the wheels F by means of a gear-wheel, H, mounted on the shaft of the wheel and meshing with another gear-wheel, I, keyed upon an engineshaft, J. By this means the cable is kept traveling. K designates a flywheel on the engine-shaft.

The carriages E E are of frame-like construction and are supported upon wheels at a. The wheels a a may rest upon a floor or other suitable support. J ournaled in the rear ends of the carriages are drums L, to which are secured and about which may be wound ropes or chains M. The ropes or chains may be wound upon thedrunis,and the drums may then be secured from turning, so as to unwind the ropes or chains by ratchet-wheels N, secured to the drums, and pawls O on the carriages engaging the ratchet-wheels. After leaving the drums L the ropes or chains pass backwardly and around pulleys P, journaled in suitable bearings. (Not shown in the drawings.) Leaving the pulleys P, the ropes or chains pass upwardly toward each other and over pulleys It, suitably mounted in bearings. (Not shown.) From the pulleys R the ropes or chains pass downwardly to a weight, S, suspended therefrom, and to which they are illdependently connected.

When slack occursin the cable upon either side, the carriages EE upon the side where the slack occurs will be moved backwardly by the weight S exerting force through the rope or chain M, with which the carriage is connected, thus taking up over the adjacent pulleys O or C and D or D the slack in the cable. As the carriage moves backwardly the force of the weight S on the rope or chain with which the carriage is connected is necessarily lessened and thrown with increased force upon the other rope or chain M, whereby the other carriage is drawn backwardly, so as to tighten the cable until the equilibrium of strain is restored, when both carriages return to their normal position and the weight S is again caused to exert equal force upon both the ropes or chains M. It is to be observed that the weight S isso suspended from the ropes M that when its force is less ened upon one of the ropes or chains it will be caused to swing laterally as well as move downwardly.

Of course, if, instead of slack occurring in too the cable, it is suddenly stretched or tightened In an equalizer for cable railways, the comfrom any cause, the effect would be to draw bination, with pulleys over which the cable 15 the carriages forward and raise the weight S passes, of carriages in which certain of said in manner conversely to that just described, pulleys are mounted, wheels, as F, around 5 thereby giving more play to the cable and which the cable passes, ropes or chains conthus equalizing strain. nected to the carriages, pulleys around which By my improvement it will be seen that all said ropes or chains pass, and a weight to 20 jerking or sudden strain upon the gear-wheels which both said ropes or chains are connected, H and I and upon the engine driving the casubstantially as and for the purpose specified.

IO blcs is avoided, as the cable passes around the \VM. H. H. SISUM.

wheels F under a uniform strain. XVitnesses:

What I claim as my invention, and desire J AMES D. GRISWOLD,

to secure by Letters Patent, is- Jos. R. BOWEN. 

